Former UFC champ Tito Ortiz wins city council seat in Huntington Beach

Tito Ortiz, former UFC champ, has won one of three available seats on the city council of Huntington Beach, California.

Ortiz, 45, is a Huntington Beach native who owns an MMA training gym in the city called Punishment Training Center. According to the Los Angeles Times, he received 34,901 votes, or 14.3 percent of the total with 100 percent of precincts reporting. His vote total is the highest out of the 15 candidates running for city council. He will serve a four-year term once he’s sworn in and has aspirations of becoming the mayor of Huntington Beach, who is chosen by the city council.

Ortiz is a longtime supporter of Donald Trump, and first became connected to him when he was a contestant on “The Celebrity Apprentice” in 2007. During his campaign, Ortiz stated that he believes COVID-19 is just the “flu,” and is a form of “population control.” On his campaign website, he declared his support for law enforcement, legal immigration and the second amendment. His campaign slogan was “Make Huntington Beach Safe Again.”

Ortiz was a major UFC star in the early 2000s, finding success not just in the octagon, but in the media with his highly-publicized feuds with fellow UFC stars like Chuck Liddell. He retired in 2012 but made a successful comeback with Bellator in 2014. He last fought in November 2019, a win against former WWE star Alberto El Patrón.

More from Yahoo Sports:

• Manza Young: Trump supporters’ LeBron chants miss mark

• Paylor: What NFL Players Coalition worked on for Election Day

• Robinson: Even NFL feels anxiety as Biden-Trump race ends

• Schaerlaeckens: Why are ex-athletes endorsing Trump so late?